Controlling of wireless connection of a portable device including an illumination component or switch

ABSTRACT

A portable media player that provides for wireless connectivity is disclosed. In some examples, the portable media player contains a button that causes the player to search for, connect with, and disconnect from wireless networks. In some examples, the button provides indicators of the connectivity of the player, such as different colors or modes of illumination. In some examples, the functionality of the button changes depending on the connectivity of the player or characteristics of the playback or navigation of media within the player. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/971,062, filed Jan. 8, 2008, and entitled “CONTROLLING OF WIRELESSCONNECTION OF A PORTABLE DEVICE INCLUDING AN ILLUMINATION COMPONENT ORSWITCH,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/884,004, filed Jan. 8, 2007, and entitled CONTROL OF WIRELESSCONNECTION FOR A PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYER. Both applications are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Portable media players are increasing in popularity. A portable mediaplayer is a transportable device that plays one or more media filetypes, including text, audio, video, graphics, animation, images,interactive, and other media file types.

Many portable media players were originally developed to play musicfiles, such as mp3 files. These players were dedicated to the playbackof music, and offered little or no additional functionality. As playershave increased in popularity, however, developers or manufacturers ofplayers have sought to gain users by incorporating other functionalitiesinto media players. For example, media players may provide wirelessconnectivity, such as connectivity with 802.11 (“Wi-Fi”) networks.However, because media players are designed to play media and wirelessconnectivity is not established in most players, users may find itdifficult to manage or properly utilize the wireless capabilities of aportable music player.

These and other problems exist with respect to portable media players.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating representative components of aportable media player, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for connecting to awireless network, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a representative screenshot depicting available wirelessnetworks that may be accessed by a portable media player, in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for performing an actionbased on a communications mode of a player via a single button, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a representative screenshot depicting the status of downloadsover a wireless network that may be accessed by a portable media player,in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a portable media player andwireless network button, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for performing an actionbased on navigation characteristics of a player via a single button, inaccordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

A method and system for initiating wireless connections and providingconnection status for a portable media player is described. The systemincludes an input control, such as a button placed externally on aportable media player, which acts as a connection initiator and/or as astatus indicator for wireless communications. When a media player is notconnected to a wireless network, a press of the button may cause thesystem to detect accessible networks in proximity to the player and todisplay one or more of the detected networks to a user. When the mediaplayer is already connected to a wireless network, a press of the buttonmay cause the system to detect a current status of the networkconnection and display the detected status information to the user. Insome cases, the button includes an indicator light that provides avisual indication of the network connection status between the playerand a wireless network.

The following description provides specific details for a thoroughunderstanding of, and enabling description for, various embodiments ofthe technology. One skilled in the art will understand that thetechnology may be practiced without many of these details. In someinstances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown ordescribed in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description ofthe embodiments of the technology. It is intended that the terminologyused in the description presented below be interpreted in its broadestreasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with adetailed description of certain embodiments of the technology. Althoughcertain terms may be emphasized below, any terminology intended to beinterpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specificallydefined as such in this Detailed Description section.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating representative components of aportable media player 100, in accordance with various embodiments.Portable media player 100 may include an input component 110 and anoutput component 120 enclosed in an housing. In various embodiments, thehousing may be palm-sized for portability. Input component 110 may beconfigured to receive user input from one or more input controls, suchas buttons, scroll wheels, touchpads, and so on. For example, player 100may receive an adjustment to playback volume via input component 110.Output component 120 may be configured to provide output to a user, andmay include an audio playback module, a display module, a vibratemodule, a light module, and so on. Portable media player 100 may alsoinclude a data storage component 180. Data storage component 180 may bea magnetic media drive, optical media drive, other non-volatile memory,flash memory, and so on, capable of storing audio media, video media,image media, and other media types for playback via output component120. The portable media player may also include a processing component170, a power component 140 that supplies power to the player and thecomponents of the player, a power management component 150, and acommunication component 130 that communicates with other devices andnetworks, such as via a wireless network. Examples of communicationinclude wired communication, such as over a USB or firewire connection,wireless communication, such as via 802.11 based networks, and so on.Player 100 may also include other components 160, such as componentsenabling use of the player as a mobile phone, not specifically describedherein.

A network button 190 is provided on the portable media player 100 aspart of a system to provide a wireless connection initiator and statusindicator for the player. When the portable media player 100 is notconnected to a wireless network and the system receives an indicationthat a user has pressed network button 190, the system detects anddisplays information about available networks in proximity to theplayer, and allows a user to connect with one of the displayed networks.FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a routine 200 that allows users of the mediaplayer to connect with a wireless network using the network button 190,in accordance with various embodiments. In operation 210, the mediaplayer 100 detects that the network button 190 has been depressed whenthe player is not already connected to a wireless network, indicating auser's desire to search for available networks. When a user presses thebutton, the system operates to identify one or more available networkswithin range of the player. In operation 220, the system retrievesinformation about one or more available networks in proximity to theplayer.

In operation 230, the system displays information related to some or allof the detected networks to the user. In some cases, the system displaysfamiliar networks ahead of unfamiliar networks. Familiar networks may beany networks previous utilized by the player, such as a user's homenetwork, work network, school network, or a network at a locationfrequented by the user (e.g. the local coffee shop or library).Unfamiliar networks are those networks that the player has notpreviously accessed. In some cases, the system displays the detectednetworks in order of signal strength, or displays secured networks andunsecured networks in groups. The system may also display various typesof information related to the detected networks, including the name ofthe network, the strength of the network, the type of network (i.e.,802.11(b), 802.11(g), and so on), the security of the network, thefamiliarity of the network, any user-assigned information (e.g., a namethat the user has assigned to the network), and so on. FIG. 3 is arepresentative display 300 showing a list 310 of networks that might bedisplayed by the media player, in accordance with various embodiments.Each network in the list 310 includes a name or assigned name 320 forthe network, an indication of previous use 330 of the network, anindicator related to the security 340 of the network, and a measure ofthe signal strength 350 of the network. For example, network 360 is anetwork accessible from the home of a user. The “home” network is knownto the user, is a secure network, and has high signal strength.

A user may select one of the displayed networks with which to connect.The network may be selected by moving a cursor to the network andclicking on the network, by accepting a network recommendation from theplayer, or by otherwise identifying one of the networks in the list ofdisplayed networks. Returning to FIG. 2, in operation 240 the systemdetects that the button 190 has been depressed by the user a secondtime, indicating the selection of a network from the list of displayednetworks. In operation 250, the player connects to the selected networkafter receiving the user input. If the connection does not occur, thesystem may receive an alternate network selection from the user or mayautomatically attempt to connect to another network (e.g., based onsignal strength, familiarity of network, etc.).

While the routine 200 contemplates that a user will press the networkbutton 190 twice to connect to a desired network, it will be appreciatedthat the routine may be modified so that a single press of the networkbutton will cause the player to connect to a network. For example, thesystem may automatically attempt to connect to the first listed networkpresented to the user. As another example, the player may not presentthe available networks to the user and may connect to a network based ona selection algorithm that takes into account signal strength,familiarity of the network, etc. In such an event, the user may not knowwhich network the system has chosen for connection.

When the portable media player 100 is already connected to a network andthe system receives an indication that a user has pressed network button190, the system may detect the current status of the network connectionand display information associated with the network connection to theuser. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 400 for detectingand displaying information pertaining to the network status of a player100 using a single button 190, in accordance with various embodiments.In operation 410, the system identifies a communications status of theplayer. For example, the player may be connected to a network and idle,may be connected to a network and currently downloading media, may besearching for available networks, and so on. In operation 420, thesystem detects that the network button 190 has been pressed by a user ofthe player 100. When the system detects that the network button has beenpressed, a variety of actions may be taken depending on thecommunications status of the player.

In operation 430, the system may take one or more actions depending onthe communication status of the player. For example, the system maydisplay the name of the network, the strength of the network, the typeof security on the network, the number of packets transmitted via thenetwork connection, and so on. Additionally, the system may displayinformation related to download activity on the network connection. Forexample, the system may display any download of media that waspreviously completed, is currently occurring, or is scheduled to occurduring the wireless connection session. The system may also display anywireless activity during a certain period of time (such as any downloadsfrom a previous week), or may display a history of downloaded media(such as the last 200 media downloads). FIG. 5 is a representativedisplay 500 depicting the status of a network connection and the currentand scheduled downloads that are expected to take place on the networkconnection, in accordance with various embodiments. Display 500 includesa network status region 510 that presents information related to thenetwork. For example, region 510 presents the name 511 of the network,the current signal strength 512 of the network, and an icon 513 or othersymbol that indicates the status of the connection (in this case, theicon indicates that the network is connected). Display 500 presents acurrent activity region 520 associated with the network 511 connection,such as a list 522 of currently downloading media and informationrelated to the media. Items in the list 522 may include the name of themedia 523 and the status of the download 524. For example, the firstmedia item 525 in the list 522 is named “Joe's Hotlist May” and 22% ofthe file has been downloaded to the player. Display also presents ascheduled activity region 530 that presents information related to theupcoming use of the network, such as pending downloads or scheduleddownloads. The scheduled activity is displayed in a list 532. Items inthe lists 532 may include the name 533 of the media item scheduled fordownload and the scheduled date 534. For example, media item 535 of thelist 532 is named “Engadget podcast” and is scheduled to be downloadedto the player on Sep. 1, 2007 at 9 A.M. (e.g., when the podcast is madeavailable to the public). Although not depicted, the system may presentinformation related to past activities that occurred over the networkconnection, such as media recently downloaded by the player.

The system may implement enhanced network functions if a number ofnetwork button 190 presses are detected in succession. For example, if auser depresses the network button 190 for a second time in closesuccession to the first, the system may remove the network connectivitydisplay or may disconnect the network (e.g., if a user has moved acursor to a network disconnection option). The system may implementadditional functionality if two or more button pushes are detected, suchas disconnecting a network when already connected, creating a connectionto a first ordered or recommended network when not connected, providinga pop-up box of network options, providing a screen to access anddownload media, and so on. As another example, if media is currentlybeing downloaded to the player, the player may pause the download upondetecting that the network button has been pressed twice. A subsequentbutton press may reinstate the paused download.

The network button 190 is placed on the player to facilitate a userconnecting to a network or to provide the status of a connection via alighted indicator without distracting the user. FIG. 6 illustrates anexample portable media player 600. Player 600 includes a housing 610, adisplay 620, and an input component 630, such as a touchpad, button,scroll wheel, and so on. The network button 190 is placed on the top ofthe media player housing 610 for a number of reasons. For example, thebutton is placed on top of the housing to be away from the display 620or input component 630. Because the network button may be illuminated,placing the button on top allows the user to view the display of theplayer without being distracted by the button. The top placement is alsoan intuitive and easy to use location for users, as antennas and otherconnection components are often placed on top of other wireless devices.And, as will be described in additional detail herein, placing a backlitbutton on the top of the player allows the user to easily check anetwork connection status light without having to remove the player froma holster or other pocket that the user may be using to carry theplayer.

The network button 190 may provide a visual indication of an existingwireless connection or a possible wireless connection. The button 190may contain a light emitting device (LED) or other light emittingcomponent. The system may indicate a number of different networkstatuses based on the illuminated mode of the button 190, such as theillumination color, the intensity of illumination (e.g., dim, bright),and the speed and duration of blinking. For example:

-   -   A red-orange light may indicate that the player is not currently        connected to a wireless network, but there are available but        unfamiliar networks in proximity to the player;    -   A dim green light may indicate that the player is not currently        connected to a wireless network, but there are available        familiar networks in proximity to the player;    -   A bright green light may indicate that the player is currently        connected to a wireless network; and    -   A bright green and blinking light may indicate that the player        is connected to a wireless network and currently receiving data        (i.e., the player is downloading media).

Pressing the network button 190 during one of the above states may causethe system to display network information as described herein. Forexample, pressing the button when a bright green light is blinkingcauses the system to display information related to the media beingdownloaded, the status of the download, and so on.

The system may use other colors or other illumination modes whenappropriate. For example, the system may use other colors orillumination modes to denote familiar versus unfamiliar networks, secureversus unsecure networks, the strength of a connected network, thecharging of the player's battery, and so on. The system may alternatethe display of colors, may display colors using one or more patterns ofblinking or indication, may dim or brighten a displayed color, and soon.

The system may use the button to provide information related to otheroperations or states of the portable media player. For example, thebutton may provide information about the battery level of the player(such as the remaining power) and/or the storage capacity of the player(such as the remaining storage capacity).

In some cases, the presentation of illumination may be from illuminationsources not contained by the button. For example, an LED or otherillumination source may be located separate from the button and on thehousing of the portable media player. In addition, the backlight orother display lighting may act to provide modes of illuminationdescribed herein.

A user of the media player may be guided by the discussed colors andillumination modes of the network button 190 to perform certain actions.For example, the user may see a red-orange button, and press the buttonto search for available networks. Once an available network is found,the button may change to dim green, indicating that there is anavailable network for the player, prompting the user to press the buttonagain. The player, upon receiving the input, connects to the network anddisplays a bright green light.

Should the user wish to download media to the player, the user maynavigate to a desired media item via the display 430 and input controls(such as touchpad 420). Upon highlighting or selected the desired mediaitem, the network button 190 may provide a lighted indication to theuser that the media is available for download. For example, the buttonmay alternate between green and blue. The user, acknowledging theindication, may press the button, prompting the player to download thedesired media item.

The system may also adjust or modify the functionality of the button 190based on the playback or navigation state of the player. FIG. 5 is aflow diagram of a routine 500 that allows a user to initiate differentactions in a player using a single button based on the playback ornavigation state of the player, in accordance with various embodiments.In operation 510, the system identifies the navigation or playback stateof the player 100. For example, the system may identify that a user hasnavigated to a media item not currently downloaded to the player. Inoperation 520, the system adjusts the mode or functionality of thebutton. For example, instead of a normal mode where the button isconfigured to search for available networks, the system has identifiedthat the user has selected a media item for download and enters anadjusted mode of operation where the functionality of the button ischanged to download a selected media item. In operation 530, the systemdetects that the user has pressed the button 190. In operation 540, thesystem performs an action based on the adjusted mode of operation. Inthis example, the player downloads the selected media item.

The system may also adjust the illumination of the button based on thenavigation or playback state of the player. After the player isconnected to a network, the system may use the various colors toindicate actions to be performed upon request from the user. Forexample, if a user is listening to a list of songs, the button mayslowly change from green to red as the song list proceeds to the end ofthe list. In this example, the system informs the user that there are nomore songs in the list, and may prompt the user to download othersimilar songs. For example, once the button turns to red (or a reddishcolor), the system may identify similar songs (such as other songs bycurrent artists within the song list), and a subsequent press of thebutton may prompt the player to download similar songs. Thus, theillumination of the button may change as the player moves from one stateto another.

In general, the button and corresponding illumination mode of the button(or other illumination indicator) may present high level informationabout a state of operation of the portable media player and a displaymay present more detailed information about the state of operation. Forexample, the button may display a bright green color indicating theportable media player is connected to a wireless network. If the buttonis pressed by a user, the player may present details about the connectedwireless network via a display of the player, such as the name of thenetwork, the strength of the connection, the download activity over thenetwork, and so on. As another example, the button may display a slowblinking red light when a battery level of the portable media playerdrops below a certain threshold level. If the button is pressed by auser, the player may present a more detailed view of the battery levelvia a display of the player, such as a percentage of remaining batterylevel, the amount of use time remaining, and so on.

Thus, the system may use the network button (and correspondingillumination mode) to provide a user with high level information aboutthe state of operation of one or more components of the portable mediaplayer. In addition, the system may provide more detailed informationabout the operation of the player when the button is depressed by theuser or the user otherwise indicates a desire to see additionalinformation. The button may therefore serve to provide some informationabout player operation and functionality and facilitate retrieval ofmore detailed information about player operation and functionality.

The above detailed description of the technology is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise form disclosedabove. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the technologyare described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalentmodifications are possible within the scope of the technology, as thoseskilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while processesor blocks are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments mayperform routines having operations, or employ systems having blocks, ina different order, and some processes or blocks may be deleted, moved,added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Also, while processes orblocks are at times shown as being performed in series, these processesor blocks may instead be performed in parallel, or may be performed atdifferent times. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented ina variety of different ways.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thespirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is notlimited except as by the appended claims.

1. A system for connecting a portable media player with a wirelesscommunications network, the system comprising: an actuator located onthe portable media player; a wireless connection component incommunication with the actuator, the wireless connection componentconfigured to search for available wireless networks, to detect one ormore available wireless networks, and to display an indication of one ormore of the one or more available wireless networks to a user when thewireless connection component detects the selection of the actuator by auser during a period when the portable media player is not connected toa wireless network; and an illumination component associated with theactuator, wherein the illumination component is configured to indicate acommunications state of the wireless connection component via a mode ofillumination.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless connectioncomponent is configured to connect to one of the available wirelessnetworks when it detects a second selection of the actuator by the user.3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection component isfurther configured to automatically connect to one of the availablewireless networks.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wirelessconnection component is configured to display information about aconnection with the wireless network, upon detecting the selection ofthe actuator by a user during a period when the portable media player isconnected to a wireless network.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein theillumination component is configured to indicate the communicationsstate of the wireless connection component by different colors ofillumination, different blinking rates of illumination or differentintensities of illumination.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein theillumination component is configured to indicate the communicationsstate of the wireless connection component through different colors ofillumination, including: presenting a first color when the wirelessconnection component is searching for available wireless networks,presenting a second color, differ from the first color, when thewireless connection component is retrieving one or more of the availablenetworks, presenting a third color, differ from the first and secondcolors, when the wireless connection component is connecting to one ofthe one or more available wireless networks, and presenting a fourthcolor, differ from the first, second and third colors, when the wirelessconnection component is connected to one of the one or more availablewireless networks.
 7. A communications controller for use in a portablemedia player, the communications controller comprising: an actuatorcontained in a housing of the portable media player, wherein theactuator receives input from a user indicative of a command associatedwith the communications state of the portable media player; acommunications control component coupled to the actuator and configuredto implement a command associated with the communications state of theportable media player when the input is received from the user; and anillumination component associated with the actuator and coupled to thecommunications control component, wherein the illumination component isconfigured to selectively provide one of a plurality of modes ofillumination based on a communications state of the portable mediaplayer, and wherein the selectively provided mode of illuminationpertains to the communications state of the portable media player. 8.The communications controller of claim 7, wherein the command isdesigned to change the communications state of the portable mediaplayer.
 9. The communications controller of claim 7, wherein the commandis designed to cause the status of communications with the portablemedia player to be displayed.
 10. The communications controller of claim7, wherein the modes of illumination comprise different colors ofillumination, different intensities of illumination or differentblinking rates of illumination.
 11. The communications controller ofclaim 7, wherein the illumination component is incorporated in theactuator.
 12. The communications controller of claim 7, wherein theillumination component is located adjacent the actuator.
 13. A method ofpresenting information to a user related to a state of operation of aportable media player, the method comprising: illuminating anillumination component adjacent to an external input component of aportable media player in a manner that indicates a state of wirelessconnectivity of the portable media player; detecting the selection ofthe external input component by a user of the portable media player; anddisplaying information related to the state of wireless connectivity ofthe portable media player on a display component of the portable mediaplayer in response to the detected selection of the external inputcomponent.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the external inputcomponent comprises a pushbutton.
 15. The method of claim 13, whereinthe state of wireless connectivity relates to wireless connectivitybetween the portable media player and a wireless network in proximity tothe portable media player.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein thedisplayed information includes characteristics of the wireless network.17. The method of claim 15, wherein the displayed information includesinformation about data transfer occurring via the wireless network. 18.The method of claim 13, wherein the state of operation relates to apower level of the portable media player.
 19. The method of claim 13,wherein the state of operation relates to an amount of storage availableon a storage device in the portable media player.